Cathodic protection systems commonly make use of packaged linear anodes having a variety of shapes (e.g., round, flat, or other shapes) and may be either a polymeric cable anode or a Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) wire anode housed inside a braided or unbraided fabric housing filled with conductive backfill. These commercially available fabric-based linear anodes are similar in design and function. One particularly useful packaged linear anode for cathodic protection systems is commercially available from Matcor, Inc., the assignee of the subject invention, under the trademark SPL-FBR.
MATCOR manufactures the SPL-FBR linear anode product. This is a product that MATCOR developed many years ago and several companies now manufacture a similarly designed product. The product consists of a continuous MMO coated Titanium wire anode (anode) run in parallel to an internal insulated electrical conductor (cable) and connected at numerous uniformly spaced locations.
The SPL-FBR linear anode assembly, like other linear anodes of other manufacturers which make use of the wire anode being connected to the cable at numerous uniformly spaced locations therealong suffers from a drawback from the standpoint of electrical attenuation, particularly if the anode assembly is long and the available power for the corrosion protection system of which the anode is a part is limited. In this regard, when the availability of power is limited, there is an attenuation factor that occurs as current continuously discharges off the anode. As you move further and further away from the end of the anode assembly which connected to the DC power supply, the voltage diminishes and the current being discharged off the anode drops precipitously.
Accordingly, a need exists for a linear anode assembly which addresses that problem. The anode assembly of the subject invention achieves that end.
All references cited and/or identified herein are specifically incorporated by reference herein.